Today's update will be a quick one so we can get right to the good stuff this morning. Dr. Jahnke and yours truly have just completed our in-depth examination of Lucasfilm and Paramount's long-awaited Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures on Blu-ray Disc! The 5-disc set includes all 4 films in the series along with a bonus disc of extras. The good news is the films all look and sound fantastic and there are a couple of really good (and new) gems in the extras - stuff you've never seen before. The bad news is that LOTS of extras from the 2008 DVD set and the previous Crystal Skull Blu-ray haven't carried over. Still, the set's worth your money and remains a great deal of fun. It arrives in stores tomorrow. Click here for all the long-winded details.

One other quick thing for you today: As it happens, I was invited to speak at the Alpha: 2012 convention in Burbank, CA over the weekend. The event is a celebration of all things related to Space: 1999. The point of my appearance was to offer fans of the show an update on the Blu-ray Disc release of Season Two. As many of you know, Season One was released on BD (by Network in the U.K. and New Video/A&E here in the States) back in 2010, but the second season has been MIA since then. Fortunately, with the help of our friends at all three companies (a big thank you, guys!), I've finally been able to learn exactly what's going on with the release and was able to share the details at the convention.

Essentially, here's deal: When Network (which does all the production and remastering on the BDs under license with ITV) went to produce the Season One set, they discovered that all of the mag tracks (that make up the audio on the first season episodes) had already been digitized, so the company didn't have to take on the cost of doing it themselves in order to create new 5.1 audio mixes for each episode (in addition to the original mono). However, those tracks haven't been converted yet for Season Two and the high cost of digitizing this material has caused the budget for the BD production to become quite expensive. Network has informed me that they're definitely committed to releasing the season on Blu-ray and they're talking with ITV and New Video about the best way to make it happen affordably while ensuring that the set is of the same high quality as Season One. As with that set, Network will transfer all the episode film elements in full HD for remastering and hopes to find additional film material in the archives as well (outtakes and the like) that they'll also scan in HD for inclusion on the set. Of course, they again plan for the audio to be available in both 5.1 and the original mono. That said, the time needed to work out these details and complete the production properly means that Season Two will likely not street on BD until late next year or early 2014. In any case, rest assured that it's coming... just not right away. Adjust your plans accordingly.

About Bill Hunt

Bill Hunt is the Editor in Chief of The Digital Bits, which he founded in the early days of the DVD format in 1997 to bring together the Hollywood film community and movie fans from around the world. His columns…